Imagine a library where instead of books teachers check out poi pounders, Egyptian mummy cloth, or Chuukese love sticks. Well it exists here at the Honolulu Museum of Art’sLending Collection!

The Lending Collection is a free resource for all island educators. Teachers can choose from more than 13,000 portable, touchable and authentic artifacts from around the world to augment classroom lessons. These artifacts include donations as well as pieces from founder Anna Rice Cooke’s collection that didn’t fit the museum’s collection but were perfect for hands-on classroom learning. If you live on the neighbor islands, the lending collection can ship boxes of artifacts to your classroom.

So the next time you’re planning a unit that could use some tactile treasures to engage your students come browse the aisles of artifacts in person or call ahead to see what we might have to match your lesson. The Lending Collection is located in theHonolulu Museum of Art School at 1111 Victoria St., between Young and Beretania streets. Learn more about the Lending Collection, including hours and contact here.